This Time
by Ranranami
Summary: Years after Sam and the Frog brothers tried to off the lost boys, leaving Michael behind, Sam comes back to cure his brother once and for all. If only things were that easy.
1. Brothers

David stood looking out over the water, his eyes narrowed angrily. He could feel the bond between him and Michael stretched thin by distance and whatever Sam had done. It felt like losing one of their own all over again, like when they had lost Marko. It had been a couple of days already already since Sam and the Frogs had snatched Michael out from under them. After years of silence, years of not seeing hide nor hair of the little wannabe hunters they suddenly appear and take his mate.

Dwayne and Paul weren't far behind him, leaning against their bikes and casually passing a joint between icy fingers. "It's winter. The nights are getting longer," Dwayne said in a cool, calm voice.

Paul handed the joint back to Dwayne after a pull, shaking his hair out as a gust of wind picked up to brush at the trio in frigid bites that a human would recoil from. "Should've killed them years ago," he remarked bitterly. They all felt the pain of their first lost brother, Marko, but Paul had taken it the hardest. They'd had their first kills together, Marko and him.

David turned back to face them, "yeah, should have taken care of them, would have if Michael wasn't still so attached to his brother. Maybe now this whole thing will have made an impression." David bit out angrily, "if he won't kill Sam, I will. The minute we find them, all three of them are dead."

They'd dealt with very few hunters in the past, and none of them had been so lucky as Sam Emerson and the Frog brothers. He could still feel Marko's blood, seeping sticky-sweet through his coat as he carried their brother to a pit in the sunken hotel. All three of them seethed with bitter rage at the shared thought. Only two good things came from that whole debacle, Michael's transformation and Max's death. The old man had managed to off their so called sire and David had never been happier that he had dosed Michael with his own blood instead of the old bat's. It didn't take long after that for the brunette to make his first kill and what a sight that had been. He looked perfect covered in blood and the sex had been fantastic.

"How far are they now?" Dwayne asked, flicking ash into the air. They'd only risen several minutes ago, and the day of waiting as David's connection with Michael grew fainter it was all he could do not to lose his temper and hazard the sun to track them down. They'd had precious little time to seek shelter the morning before when it had happened. The hunters must have been planning this for a long time.

"Too far, it'll take time to catch up, time we might not have. Who knows what those idiots have planned." David growled, "we'd better get going." He said, heading for his bike.

"I wonder if the Froggies taste as good as their parents," Paul mused, hooping onto his bike and snatching the joint from Dwayne for one last, luxurious pull. The smoke mingled with ocean fog and salt.

"Well, we're going to find out. If we can't find Michael right off let's hope we find them first." David said, starting his bike, "I think I want Frog for dinner tonight."

* * *

"Michael!" He could hear the twerp shouting, "Mike!"

David wanted to follow them, wring their necks, strip the skin from their fingers slowly while they watched him lap up the blood. He wanted to do a lot of things right now, but the fucking burn marks on his arm and Marko's twitching corpse on the ground behind him were a stark reminder of what would happen if he didn't wait until nightfall.

"We gotta go. We can't wait for your brother," he heard one of them call out.

"He's toast!" The other agreed, just as loyal to his twisted sense of bravery.

David snarled, the flesh on his hand slowly mending as he glared out at the slowly setting sun. Michael. Well, if what they said was true during their escape he was still here. While they lost Marko there was at least someone left behind they could take their anger out on. Perhaps even two someones if Star was still here. Oh, how he hoped she was. His patience with her had worn out.

"Michael," he called softly, hoping for some sign that he was there, "is Star with you?" He had more control over him than her, being that it was David's blood Michael had consumed. The half-vampire would _feel _his voice, deeper than his own thoughts.

A panicked, drowsy response came after what felt like minutes of empty silence, "David?" So they really had left him behind. For all they knew, a lamb to the slaughter.

David smirked, "Oh, yes, Michael, they left you behind. You're _mine_ now, no escape." He hissed out, "is Star with you?"

"She's-" Michael hesitated, "-no. You're not hurting her, David." It was a tired, empty attempt at a threat. He'd struck a chord, too. To be abandoned so easily by one's own brother. The scent of Marko's blood fresh in the air did nothing to arouse any sympathy from David.

"Never said I was going to, is she there or not?" He growled, ordering him to answer the actual question.

Michael couldn't _lie. _With enough pressure, he wouldn't be able to stay quiet forever, either.

"She is," he finally relented, "and I'm taking her with me."

"Oh, you're not going anywhere. You're staying put right where you are." The sun dipped below the horizon as he spoke, "I'll be there before you know it."  
Paul and Dwayne drifted to the ground, following David's gaze.

"Are we gonna follow those fuckers? Rip their heads off?" Paul demanded, kneeling to examine what was left of Marko. Just a shell. A shell in a patchwork jacket.

David strode forward, making his way to where he felt Michael, "no, not yet, we have other _guests_ to play with. One of them we can even kill."

* * *

"No, man, we can't do that!" Sam insisted, eyes nervously darting to their heavily-customized trailer, the windows thoroughly blacked out. "We didn't go through all this trouble just to kill my brother. We're gonna cure him, remember?" They'd parked miles out in the middle of nowhere, safe from cops, safe from vampires. Nobody would find them, and if they did then they'd find their bellies full of lead or a face-full of holy water. Knowing Edgar Frog, probably a combination of the two.

"He's been a bloodsucker too long, how you think we're gonna cure him?" Edgar asked, looking at the trailer where the bound and gagged vampire was stashed.

"We can start with just weaning him off. That was the plan, right? Start with small animals. Squirrels. Cats. Then we give it to him in a jar or something-you promised we'd at least try. I've been hunting with you guys for a long time. You _owe _me!"

Edgar tossed his hands up, "fine, fine, but he tries to chomp us and it's game on."

"I still think we shoulda used the pliers on his dead ass when he was sleeping. No more teeth, no more bloodsucking," Alan remarked, glaring over at the trailer. "You know how many chicks I had to roofie at that bar to get him to finally bite?" He took an angry bite of his liver loaf sandwich and a guzzle of his lukewarm beer. The Frog brothers hadn't changed much over the years. If anything, they'd gotten a little worse.

"Probably would have just grown back." Edgar mumbled, snagging the beer out of his brother's hand and taking a drink. "Fine, Sam, this is your show, what do you want us to do?"

"So we start by going to that animal shelter," Sam suggested, a little guiltily, "or if he really needs it, we can go hunting. There's lots of deer around here, and you just got your license renewed, didn't you Ed?" He had to admit even to himself, the idea of taking Fluffy home just to feed her to his undead older brother (who looked half Sam's age now) was a little repugnant-but their choices right now were pretty limited.

"Alan can go get a cat or something, I'll stay here with you, make sure you don't do something stupid, like letting the bloodsucker out."

"Stop calling him that!" Sam shouted, "he's Michael. Call him Mike if you have to, but don't call him bloodsucker."

"Leopard spots," Alan retorted, boiling the argument down to two words.

The trailer began to shudder, as loud thumping sounds emanated from inside.

Alan smirked, "sleeping beauty's up."

Edgar snickered, "go get something for it to eat, I'll keep watch." He finished the rest of Alan's beer. He turned his gaze back to Sam, "you wanna go talk to it?"

Sam glared at him, "if I open one of the windows, are you gonna shove a crossbow through it?"

"You want me to? Told you, this is your show, you get bit that's on you." He shot back.

Letting out a deep breath, Sam stood up from the rest stop picnic table, and stalked towards their trailer. Alan had unhooked it from the truck so he could drive back into town when needed, so there was no need to worry about accidentally towing Michael with him.

"Mike?" He called out nervously, settling on the windows at the back doors of the trailer that he'd covered with black canvas. "Listen, it's me, Sam."

"What the fuck, Sam?" Michael growled, somehow he had gotten the gag out but his hands were still bound behind him.

"I-I know this isn't how you probably wanted to meet again, but it's okay. We're gonna fix you, Mike. I promise."

"Fix me? I'm not broken! Come in here and untie me or I swear, when I get free, I'm going to be the least of your worries."

Sam shook his head, "I can't do that. Alan's going back into town now to get you some food. Then we can figure this all out. Do-" he hesitated, "-would you prefer cats or dogs? Does it make a difference?" He'd feel a hell of a lot guiltier feeding his brother a cat, but Sam was prepared to do the unthinkable if he had to.

"_Sam," _Michael hissed out, "you need to let me go. _Now._" He sounded angry, but there was a hint of fear, too. Maybe he was afraid it would taste bad. Sam didn't blame him.

"Mike, it's gonna be ok, aren't you happy? I came back for you!" What was wrong with him? Aside from the blood drinking. He should be grateful.

"No, Sam. You came back for yourself. You left me to die," he replied bitterly, "so just let me go."

He scowled, "no, I came for you, I'm going to fix you Mike, cure you!"

"You can't cure dead!" Michael shouted, a loud crashing sound emanating from inside the trailer. He'd probably broken something in there. The cot Sam left for him, or something else. It'd be a lot easier to tell if he unblocked the window. "If you don't let me go _now, _I can't protect you!"

"Protect me from what? We're safe out here, no one is gonna find us out here."

"If they do, we'll be ready for them," Edgar remarked, clapping Sam on the shoulder, "monster bashers. Truth, justice, and the American way."

"_Sam," _Michael whispered. He was probably pressed up against the door now, "don't make me choose. I _can't. _They're coming. I can feel them."

He looked at Edgar, scowling, "they have no idea where we went, no idea what direction we went or anything. Mike, they can't find us." He tried to reassure him, "why would you want them to?"

"I don't want them to. I _need _it," Michael whispered, "his blood is in my veins."

"What do you need? I don't get it! Explain it to me, Mike!"

"Oh for-are you really that fucking stupid, Sam? You had a half-naked Rob Lowe poster on your closet door when you were fourteen!" Michael snapped, "do I have to spell it out? David's my mate. Happy? We kill people and we screw. Sometimes at the same time. Any other questions? Details, you want those too?!"

He looked at Edgar, "mate? What the hell? That wasn't in any of our research."

Edgar gagged, "that's sick. Yeah, that wasn't in anything I read. Maybe Alan. He likes kinky shit." Edgar shoved a hand into one of his army coat pockets and pulled out a rope of licorice, offering it to Sam after picking off the worst of the lint.

Alan called back to them from the safety of the truck, where he'd been watching everything unfold, "what did he say?"

"Something about David being his mate, what's a mate?"

Alan cringed, "that sucks. Guess we gotta stake him after all. Bloodsuckers get real protective when they pick a mate. I guess it's like being married if you don't count all the shared blood-drinking, murder, and mental hookup. Anywhere one goes, the other will know where they are. Separated too long, they start to go crazy. I've got a couple of books somewhere in my steamer trunk. Pictures, too. Weird shit."

Sam was worried, "Mike? We're gonna fix this it's not like he's in your head controlling you or anything, you're still you. We're gonna fix it, I promise." He laid his hand on the side of the trailer, "I'm gonna save you, Mike."

Michael mumbled something under his breath, though what he said was anyone's guess, and a part of Sam couldn't blame him. Addicts struggled with anger issues, didn't they? That's all his brother was now, and he had to remind himself of that. He was just an addict. He'd thank all of them later when he could see things more clearly. Besides, if they cured Michael, whatever weirdo mate thing he had with one of those bloodsuckers would be broken too.

* * *

This was supposed to be simple. Go to the hotel, grab Star and the kid, then make a break for the house. If they were lucky, Sam and his obnoxious friends would somehow deal with the vampires too. Michael didn't want to think about that part, because if he let himself focus on it he wouldn't have been able to let his brother come with him. This was all one horrible nightmare.

Star wasn't in bed, and from what he could tell Laddie was nowhere to be found either. Michael stumbled blindly in the dark, using the walls to support himself at times just to feel the cool stone and old plaster. It helped him focus on keeping his eyes open. How much time did he have?

"Star," Michael whispered, reaching out towards a tattered curtain hammered into a passage he hadn't noticed before. The scent of dried flowers whispered through the cracks behind the curtain. She was close.

"I'm gonna get you out of here," he promised, stifling a yawn as he slipped into the passage.

"Michael?" Her voice came out softly from an area off the tunnel to his right.

He pushed forward into the darkness, following the sound of Star's voice, "why are you back here?" He asked, a sudden chill running down his spine. Before the shouting even started, he _knew _something bad had happened with his brother and the Frogs. He _felt _it.

"I couldn't sleep, it was too bright." She mumbled softly. She was huddled in a ball on the ground, wrapped in a glittering comforter. Blearily, she reminded him of a bird tearing through the night sky with her fall of dark curls spread about her.

"Can you walk?" He asked, kneeling down beside her, trying to ignore the shouts of Sam calling out to him. They could wait. Nobody would catch them outside, if sunlight really did kill vampires.

She reached up, pulling at him lightly, "Michael, I'm so tired," she mumbled, "sleep with me."

"Star," he protested weakly, sinking down to his knees, "we've gotta get outta here. What about Laddie?" Distantly, he heard one of the Frogs yelling to just leave him behind. When Sam didn't argue, Michael felt a knife twisting in his gut, even as he laid down beside Star. Just to rest his eyes. Then he'd carry her out and _walk _home if he had to. It was so nice and dark in here. Quiet.

She pressed herself against him, eyes closed, "I told him to run, he's safe." She mumbled softly.

"That's…" He wasn't even able to finish his thought, wrapped with Star in her blanket. A few minutes stretched into hours. Then all at once, he was awake, and searching the empty dark around them, arguing with David's voice in his head.

"Star, he's coming," Michael whispered, throwing the blanket off of them, "we've gotta go, _now!" _They were running out of time. He could feel it. The sun was setting, and the one chance they had was about to disappear.

David smirked from the entrance to the room they were in, "he's here." He smirked, barring the way.

Michael immediately moved to shield Star, climbing to his feet and pulling her up behind him. He summoned his courage, bolstered by anger and the need to protect her, and his family, "David."

"Michael." He replied, "you've caused us a lot of trouble, the two of you," he looked between the two of them, "and you're going to pay for what happened to Marko."

Star's breath caught in her throat, and Michael felt her clinging to his shoulder.

For an instant, Michael was taken aback, "what-" his eyes darted to the passage behind David as Paul and Dwayne appeared behind him, shadows rising from the dark, "-what happened?"

Had Sam and his friends really managed to…? That's why they'd come there, but there was no way. If they had, Sam wouldn't have just left him behind, knowing what was going to happen to him. He wouldn't. They were brothers.

"They killed Marko, they killed our brother, now you _will_ make your kill and I will take his brother." David bit out sharply.

Michael narrowed his eyes, remaining defiant despite the twisting pain in his stomach, "I'm not a killer." The memory of their grinning faces dripping with blood as they shouted at him on the beach was still fresh in his mind, and he reminded himself exactly what David, Paul, Dwayne-and even Marko were. Monsters. Whatever David's blood had done to him, whatever it was trying to do, Michael would fight it.

David glanced back at Dwayne and Paul, seeming to have a silent conversation before the two boys moved past him into the room, each grabbing one of Michael's arms before hauling him toward David. He threw every ounce of strength he had into struggling, while Star stumbled forward to pull at his jacket, falling to the ground when Dwayne shoved her away.

"No!" Star shouted, "David, please!"

"Let me go!" Michael demanded, unable to break their firm hold on him.

David smirked at him, grasping his chin and forcing his head back, "hungry?" He asked, looking down at him, "here, let me sate your hunger." With his free hand he slit his throat before pulling Michael up so his lips were inches from the wound, "have a drink."

He tried to fight it. God, how he tried, but it had been easier to fight his hunger on the beach. He wasn't up close and personal with the blood, and David's smelled so much stronger. Richer.

Distantly, he thought he heard Star weeping as he closed his eyes and felt the bones in his face shifting, his teeth growing sharp. Michael tried to hold his breath, to turn away, but David kept his fingers firm in Michael's hair, claws digging into his scalp when he struggled. Until all he could do was think of the blood, and Star cried out to him when he felt his lips on David's neck. There was nothing like it. He hated himself for the desperate groan he let out, struggling not to get away, but to get closer. More. He wanted _more. _David let him, let him press closer, let him take what he wanted, the hot blood pouring past his lips.

"Good boy, drink as much as you want. I've got plenty more where that came from." He smirked at Star from over Michael's shoulder.

Wordlessly, Paul and Dwayne stepped back, letting Michael dig his fingers into David's coat. He didn't even know why he'd been fighting this anymore. It was everything.

Star sobbed, pressing herself up against the wall, making herself as small as possible as she tried to put space between them. "Don't," she begged, "David, don't…"

"Don't what, Star?" He stroked through his hair, eyes locked on her.

"Don't make us do it," she repeated, tears streaking her face, bare feet sliding over rock in a soft whisper.

Paul grinned, glancing over at David, while Dwayne merely crossed his arms to watch. At this point Max's commands to grow their family had become a joke.

"Oh, don't worry, Star. _You_ don't have to do anything." He grinned, "in fact, all you have to do is hang out right where you are." He gently urged Michael away from his throat, "easy Michael, I have something even better for you to taste." He leaned close, licking a stray drop of blood from his chin, "a pretty little thing, just waiting for you to sink your teeth into."

With David's blood fresh on his tongue and lips, the dark urges Michael had tamped down took control. The human half of his mind screamed as he flew at her. Dark curls he'd brushed his hands through on a passionate night to help keep the hunger at bay only spurred him on now to tear her head back and bite deep. She didn't even have time to scream. By the time he was done, Star was a broken, bloodied doll on the ground staring back with empty glass eyes. Michael gazed back, perched on his knees and baptized by her death.

David slid his fingers through his curls, "good job, Michael." He smirked down at him before looking at Dwayne and Paul, "welcome your brother, boys."

* * *

"Sam!" Michael called out. His brother had stopped replying to him about an hour ago, said he was going for a walk until Michael calmed down. His fingers twitched, ready to tear and rend in frustration. The minute those fuckers opened this stupid door to feed him a fucking housepet, he was going to show the Frog brothers what their insides looked like in full color.

He slammed the back of his head against the trailer door, arms clasped over his knees. He hadn't been separated from his pack-from _David_-since he'd died. It was worse than missing a limb. It was like reaching into his mind for a thought, and finding nothing but an empty, bleak darkness. Veins of insanity were beginning to weasel their way into his skull. Why the fuck couldn't he break this stupid door open? It shouldn't be that hard.

"_David," _Michael reached into the dark schism in his mind again, hopeless, "_David?"_

He could feel a trickle, a thin link, and a muffled feeling of worry tinged with fear. No words, but it was something. "_They're going to feed me Lassie," _he sent the thought out with bitter humor. Maybe David would hear it. Or maybe Michael had already snapped.

"_Lassie is stupid, bet it'll taste like shit."_ The words were broken but he could hear them at least or maybe it was all in his head, "_eat a Frog instead."_

Michael snorted, peering up at the metal roof of the trailer where he'd left deep tears and scratches without so much as a tiny hole to glimpse the stars, "_they smell kinda funky. Maybe I'd be better off with the dog. I'm sure it bathes."_ Even if this was all in his head, a false simile of David, a shadow of him going crazy, it filled a void. On the rare occasion they got pissed off enough to draw blood from each other (and it wasn't just for fun), David had promised he could never really run away. Now Michael was beginning to see why.

"_Hold on, Michael, we'll be there as soon as we can. Don't let those little shits get to you."_

"_I think we're near the woods somewhere. Can't hear any cars. They drove all day." _He knew that much. Even when he was blitzed out on whatever drug they'd slipped into his meal, and the sun was hot enough to nearly cook him in the trailer, he'd felt it moving. It was a wonder they didn't get pulled over, as fast as they'd been going.

"_Not sure how much longer I can keep this open, just try to hold on. Your brother is an idiot, guess he didn't do much research, did he? Obviously he wants you to go nuts. Guess he doesn't realize what I'm going to do to him, does he?"_

He didn't want to think about it. "_No," _Michael whispered, closing his eyes, "_he doesn't."_

"_Maybe you should explain some things to him before I get there. It might save his pathetic little life."_

"_If he lets me go, you won't kill him?"_

"_I'll consider it. He'd have to let you go, beg for forgiveness, and never come near us again."_

Michael let out a deep breath, "_I'll try."_

"Mike?" Sam was back, great, "you awake?"

"So you're finally back?" Michael asked bitterly, "change your mind yet?" The wounds of being left behind still stung. Sam's misguided attempts to 'fix everything' twenty years after the fact was salt on the raw holes left behind. Still…

"Before you start running your mouth," Michael cut Sam off just as he heard his former brother take a deep breath to give him some stupid long-winded speech, "you can't take it all back, Sam. I've killed people. I enjoy it. I killed _Star," _he'd never forget that mingling pain and thrill of doing it, "David is my mate now. We're connected. I don't know how to explain it so you'll understand, but if we're not…" He trailed off, not sure exactly how to phrase it. "We share minds. If we're broken up, we'll go crazy. I'm losing myself, Sam. When I'm gone this time, _I can't come back._ They'll find us, and when they do, you'll be just another meal. Do you understand?"

"No, no, Mike, I can fix this! You're an addict, we just have to wean you off the stuff, you'll get better!"

Michael stared ahead at the cot he'd destroyed on the opposite end of the trailer, gnarled springs and twisted metal arms waving at him in the dark. "An addict? Is that what I am?"

He could picture Sam nodding emphatically, "yeah! That's right, Mike, an addict!"

"So you and the Frogs. You hunt vampires and kill them, right?" He would try reasoning with him like he was talking to a small child, since being blunt didn't work.

"Well, yeah." He said it as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Then if I'm an addict, and you can save me—what about them?"

Sam was silent outside, "we, we only have so many resources, we can't save everyone." He said softly, "but we can save you!"

"You can't pick and choose who's worth saving," Michael snapped, "even if you could save me, it means you've been murdering people too, Sam. Think about it."

"No, no, Mike, you're wrong!" It sounded like he was trying to convince himself. Maybe he was beginning to get through to him. Even when they were kids, Sam had been just as stubborn as him.

"Do you like doing it, Sam? Seems like your friends sure do." He was tired, and it wasn't as easy to force his influence on a human without eye contact, but Michael used what little power he could muster to try. "We're brothers. You can fix everything by letting me go home. You can just tell them I broke out. Nobody will get hurt."

He could feel his brother's indecision, "no, I, I'm not a murderer, I'm not a killer!" He exclaimed, "how do I know you won't eat them or me?" He squeaked.

"Because no matter what, I'm still your brother. We gotta stick together, right? I wouldn't kill you Sam. Ever." Despite the fact that Sam was starting to smell like a five course dinner, Michael was sure he wouldn't. If he could help it.

"Sam! What're you doing?!" One of the Frogs had come back and he was so close!

"Alan! I, umm, well…" He was silent for a moment, "did you bring it?" He asked, quickly changing the subject.

Michael scowled. Whatever it was that they'd brought back, it smelled like it was dying.

"Hard to get anything good for less than fifty bucks," the Frog grumbled, "so fang-boy's just gonna have to deal with it and be glad we're even feeding it."

It was decided. When he got out of here, _that_ asshole was the one getting his eyes popped out like grapes.


	2. Closer

David opened his eyes, the link with Michael was getting stronger the closer they got and their brief conversation had been an important one; he knew Michael was still mostly sane, now it was his own sanity that he had to worry about. At least he had the boys with him to help maintain his mind. Being separated from your mate did strange things, starting with hallucinations and ending with mass murder and insanity until you were reconnected with them, even after that it wasn't always possible to fully come back from it.

They were nursing coffees at a gas station diner while Dwayne examined the map he'd taken from their evening meal (with only a few bloody thumbprints on the Gulf to show for it.) "They could be at a campsite. An old pit stop. Somewhere with a water hookup. They may be stupid, but they're not stupid enough to be anywhere surrounded by people," Dwayne surmised, glancing at Paul who was leaning over the back of their booth with his chin on his hands as he watched a couple of girls walk by.

David rubbed the bridge of his nose, "he's still a fair distance away, probably within thirty miles or so."

Paul settled back down in his seat, propping his arm up on the table so he could lean against it, "guess they thought they were safe. You think we'll find them tonight?" He was filled with frantic energy tonight. Not because of the coffee, or the excitement of traveling, but because they were finally going to make good on Marko's death. Paul had already called dibs on Edgar Frog.

"Probably not, more likely tomorrow unless we get lucky." Dwayne said, looking at David, a hint of worry in his eyes.

"You alright, bud?" Paul clapped David on the shoulder, "didn't eat much out there." He nodded towards an RV parked at a distance from the diner. It had been an easy place to hunker down for the day, but most of the family inside had gone to waste.

"My head hurts and I want to torture Sam until he begs for me to end his miserable life." He bit out sharply, "I feel like I'm losing my mind." He dug his fingers into his hair, bowing his head.

"Why haven't they killed him?" Dwayne voiced their unspoken thought aloud, "they've been hunting for years. All around the Luna Bay area, sometimes in the sticks in Santa Carla. So are they using him as a trap now? Why did they wait so long?" He spoke just barely above a whisper so passersby wouldn't overhear their conversation. It was always fun to massacre a crowd, but they had other errands to run tonight.

"All I know is they're going to feed him animals. No idea what's going on in their heads, Michael didn't give me too much to go on. Doubt he knows everything they're planning on doing but they don't seem to want to kill him, at least Sam doesn't." David paused, "maybe I can get the connection back and maybe he found out something else but it makes my head hurt more when the link is cut by distance."

"Ugh," Paul wrinkled his nose in disgust, "_animals? _That's just sick."

Dwayne folded up his map, "not much time left before sunrise. You wanna ditch the RV and sleep in the ground tonight just in case anyone comes knocking, see if we can make another half hour on the bikes?"

"Yeah, the closer we can get the better. I need to get back in touch with him to find out if he knows anything else. Hopefully before they try to feed him a dog."

"Wherever they've got him, hope they've got plenty of soap and water to clean up the mess," Paul remarked, looking out the window, "remember all those halfies Max kept hanging around? Wouldn't let them feed, just gave them hamsters and gerbils for snacks?" Hard to forget their former head vampire's twisted games. They never lasted. He'd been planning to do the same thing to Michael's family, too.

"I wonder if it's better to go without than to try to eat an animal." David said thoughtfully, "probably is but maybe if those idiots see what happens when one of us eats a dog they'll rethink things."

Dwayne shook his head, standing up and tossing a crumpled five dollar bill on the table, "or they'll just switch to cat."

"There's a zoo around here, right?" Paul snarked, offering a lighter to David when he noticed their leader reaching for the cigarette in his front coat pocket.

David took it, lighting his cigarette before handing the lighter back, "yeah, I think so, why?"

"Let's drop them off in a lion cage, get the fuckers riled up and see if they're hungry too. I know Mikey's probably starving."

Dwayne smirked, "the smell would put them off." His smile faded as he looked back at David, examining his features closely, "just try to focus on something else. Remember when he tried to ditch us in the beginning? We'll find him. Just like we did then."

David took a deep breath, closing his eyes and nodding, "yeah, we'll find him, one way or another."

* * *

A month to the night Marko had been killed, and subsequently by pure good luck Max, Dwayne noticed Paul was finally digging through his tape collection again. It wasn't much, but it was a start. They all felt pretty surreal going through the mourning process. Paul, especially, was a little more quiet. It sucked. Neither Dwayne nor David had ever imagined they'd actively want the wilder member of their pack to run his mouth off.

Dwayne silently strode over to the fountain where Paul had his box of tapes, standing behind him as he watched. "AC/DC," he suggested, "Back in Black."

As if on cue, Michael slipped into the lobby, hands firmly shoved into his jacket pockets as he glanced back over his shoulder with a scowl on his face, "I was just checking on them. I was gonna come back."

David looked over at him with slightly narrowed eyes, "did we say anything about it? Not that you should really be spending time with them anyway, it doesn't do you any good."

"My mom thinks I'm dead. The house looks like someone dropped a bomb on the garage. They're moving. I wanted to make sure they were okay." Michael pointedly sat down on the far end of the couch, putting as much distance as he could between himself and David's rusted throne, "I don't want them to go."

Never mind that the Emersons were all better off if they _did _leave Santa Carla. Most of all, Michael's little brother. David stood, walking over to Michael and laying a hand on his shoulder, "they're better off leaving. For them and you."

The brunette's scowl deepened, "I want to say goodbye."

"That'd be nice," Paul bit out, tossing the box of cassettes to the ground with a loud clatter. Dwayne sat down beside him at the fountain, ready to move if he had to prevent the rocker from doing something stupid. Like breaking the AC/DC tape he'd dug out and set aside. Or losing his temper.

David gave him a pointed looked before looking back at the brunette, "Michael, come with me, let me help you." He said softly.

Michael looked up at him, his scowl softening a little, "where are we going?"

"You and I are going to go get your mind off things, help you and I stabilize a little bit, not just us but Dwayne and Paul too."

Dwayne nodded silently, reaching over to grab the cassette from Paul's hand and slip it into his own pocket for safekeeping. They needed a little fun tonight. Maybe David would even get a chance to see what new things he was capable of, taking over the helm after Max's tragic death. Tragic because they hadn't had a part in it.

David slid his fingers through his hair, "come on, you'll like this."

Michael looked like he was going to argue, but the tension in his shoulders relaxed when he looked over at Paul, and maybe a hint of guilt flitted across his features before his scowl disappeared altogether, "alright. I guess. If I have to."

Dwayne smirked, crossing his arms, "you have to."

David took his hand, pulling him up and leading him into the back.

Paul and Dwayne watched them leave, and Dwayne had a suspicion he probably knew what David was planning. Risky move. Was he really that worried Michael would try to run off and leave with his old family? He supposed it didn't really matter. Dwayne knew David well enough by now. He was bound to mate with Michael sooner or later.

"So," Dwayne said, once the silence had stretched on long enough to be sure they weren't going to be back for awhile, "Paul. You buy any comics lately? I only ever see those burn-outs running the store nowadays. Guess the kids are on the day shift."

"Wish we could find out, I'm going to kill them both, especially that bandana wearing freak, what was his name? Ed?"

"Sounds about right. Eddie Munster, maybe," Dwayne joked dryly, "would you settle for their parents tonight? Bring them back for a nice midnight snack?" It wasn't exactly ideal, but at least it was a nice start. It would certainly send a message.

Paul perked up a little, "yeah, yeah, let's go get some takeout. I'm sure David and Michael want some alone time." He paused, "think them mating will help us?" He asked, a hint of hope in his voice.

"You mean will he let us turn little Sammy into breakfast?" Dwayne laughed, "nah. He'll stop running off, though. I think." It wasn't something either of them had ever had any experience with. When you live forever, committing just as much time to mating with someone was a little intense. If one of them died, the other would follow pretty quickly.

Dwayne gave Paul a good shove, "now get your mopey ass outside before I drag you out. They're closing soon and I don't want to have to chase their car down the freeway."

Paul punched his shoulder as he walked past him and out of the cave. "Hurry up, slacker."

"Let's fly," Dwayne suggested, following him into the oddly clear night, "easier to bring back leftovers that way."

The best thing about the boardwalk? It was practically within walking distance from the sunken hotel. Gathering the mortals hardly took more than an hour at most, even taking into account their short run to their car, the subsequent destruction of said car, and their manic struggles all the way back home. Meals were always better fresh.

Paul's excited howls announced their arrival in the lobby as they tossed their quarry to the ground. David and Michael must have had a good time without them, because they were haphazardly dressed and relaxing on the couch together.

Dwayne put his foot on the man's chest before he could scramble to his feet, while Paul happily tore into the woman. "Have fun?" Dwayne asked in a casual tone, ignoring his thrashing quarry and applying more pressure with his foot.

Paul grinned, licking his lips before diving back in, his face covered in blood.

Michael reluctantly tore his eyes away from the bloodied victim in Paul's grasp, "...yeah," he admitted. "A little. I guess."

David trailed his fingers through his hair lazily, "yeah, was a good time. You?"

"Got a good workout," Dwayne replied, the bones in his face shifting as he looked hungrily down at the man beneath his foot. "Wanna help finish this one off? We can drop the scraps back off at the comic shop."

* * *

"Can't believe he's just sitting outside chatting it up with that bloodsucker _in the middle of the night_, no stake or holy water or anything," Edgar grumbled, glancing down at his greasy bar burger and beer, "makes me sick." This was either going to be the end for their friend, or the rude awakening he'd needed for the last twenty damn years. Either way, Edgar could confidently say that neither he nor his brother Alan were that stupid.

Alan let out a grunt, "what're we gonna do with him? Can't just let the thing live but Sam's gonna be pissed if we just go in and stake it."

Edgar took a gulp of beer, using the sleeve of his army jacket to wipe droplets from his bristly chin, "for now, we just gotta make sure it doesn't get out. This is our chance to get 'em all, Alan. These are the same things that got mom and dad—probably." They didn't have any evidence, but who else would it be? Those were the only bloodsuckers with a grudge when Edgar and Alan frog were just kids. What were the chances it was anyone else?

"Cowards were too scared to come after us so they took mom and dad instead." Alan said bitterly.

Edgar nodded, "we've been waiting for this for years. Sam'll snap out of it once he sees that thing in the trailer for what it really is. We've gotta set some traps. Either we do it here tonight, or we get on the road and stall for time. Gotta stock up on holy water, anyway."

"How close do you think they are? We got a good spot here, easier to defend than some of the others we looked at."

"No telling," Edgar said with a shrug. "Hey, that mate thing—is it really a big deal? We could use it to our advantage…"

"Far as I can tell, plenty of stories about it. Forms some kind of link between them. They know where each other are, can communicate, some kind of psychic thing. Supposedly unbreakable."

"What happens if we kill one?" They _could _make it look like an accident to keep Sam from freaking out on them.

"From what I read the other one goes nuts, like killing spree, rampage kind of nuts. Unstoppable killing machine hell bent on revenge." Alan took a drink of his beer, "lot of civilians put at risk."

Edgar frowned, shifting on his bar stool. They didn't have much time to figure this out, but, "there's one way I think we can get an edge—but it's risky." Risky, and maybe just a little stupid too.

"What's that?"

"Now you gotta promise me you won't freak out, Alan," Edgar lowered his voice to a gravelly whisper, "it's for the greater good."

Alan scowled at him, "Ed, what're you thinking?" He said skeptically.

"We _can't _fight 3 or 4 vampires at once, not with Sam acting all funny right now. Unless _one of us_ gets an extra edge. We ride out tonight and get some distance between us and them—then in the morning, we slip into the trailer and get some blood from fang-boy. Just for a couple days, one of us turns halfie. Stake him when we take care of the others, and problem solved."

Alan sat in silence, staring at his brother, his beer forgotten on the table, "what the fuck, Ed. No, just, no, what the hell are you thinking?!" his voice slowly climbed in pitch as he spoke, eyes wide.

"Calm down!" Edgar hissed, "Alan, listen," he slapped his hands on both sides of his brother's face to bring him in close, pressing their foreheads together, "if one of us is still human, we do what we have to, okay? This is the only way to make sure we get those jerkwads back for what they did to _mom and dad_!" He ignored the curious onlookers, at this point avoiding a scene was impossible.

"No, no, fuck no, Ed, I'm not gonna help with this, no way." He was panicking but didn't care, this was a scary thought and an insane plan.

"Then I'll do it. If the worst thing happens, I need you to promise you'll do what you have to." Edgar pulled back, meeting Alan's gaze, "we're brothers. Bad monster bashers. We can do this."

Alan closed his eyes, "brothers…"

* * *

Sam sat outside the trailer, eyes locked on the door. He had slipped the cat in there an hour ago and hadn't heard anything since then. He had no idea if Michael ate it or not but his brother was silent inside.

"Mike? Did you eat?" If Michael wasn't going to break the silence it fell to Sam.

"It smells like it's rotting from the inside," Michael snapped, "Sam, unblock the window. I'm tired of talking to the wall."

"So you didn't eat it?" He asked, changing the subject, "come on, Mike, you need to eat something. Would Chinese be better?"

"Doesn't make a difference if it's a Chinese guy or not," Michael replied, his voice harsh and gravelly, "just get me _human blood_, Sam. Why won't you unblock the window? Don't want to look at what I really am? Scared?"

"I can't get you a human! Why can't you eat the cat?" He moved closer, pulling the cloth aside just far enough so he could peer through the window.

"Why can't _you_ eat it?" Michael hissed, jumping close to the window and gripping the bars with clawed fingers so quickly Sam nearly stumbled back.

"I-I could eat it but I have other things I can eat." He tried to sound sure of himself, he tried to sound as if those claws didn't bother him. They'd been within inches of gouging out his eyes.

"I do too," Michael replied, his voice cracking, "plenty of food if you just let me out. Don't make me eat a cat, Sam. I'm your brother, right? Why do you want your brother to eat Fluffy? It'll just come right back up. Then I'll just be hungrier when I'm done, and you'll have a bucket of cat blood to mop up."

He scowled, "but there are vamps that eat animals, what makes you different?" At least he had read about some of them eating animals.

Michael laughed, and the sound was scarier than Sam would like to admit. It was inhuman. Empty. "What makes me different? I'm _real. _Those are fucking fairytales. Why do you think Santa Carla's the murder capital of the world, Sam? How often do you see dogs washed up on the beach with their throats torn out? Not that simple. I need _human _blood. Not a cat. Not a hamster. Human."

What was he going to do now? How could he get his brother off the red stuff if he had to eat people?

"Let me go, Sam," Michael whispered, "_let me go_."

"I-I, Mike, I _can't, _you're going to hurt someone." He said softly.

"Yeah," he didn't even try to lie, "but it won't be you. If you let me go, before they get here, we can forget this happened. I'm losing myself, Sam. You need to let. Me. Go."

Sam's hand shook as he reached for the door, "Mike…" He whimpered softly.

"They're getting closer," Michael urged, "hurry up. Open the door."

His hand wrapped around the handle, his other hand fumbling with the key before he managed to slide it home and unlock the door. The door slowly slid open, Sam stepping back.

Michael snarled, leaping out of the trailer and all but knocking him over. For an instant he thought he was going to die, when he heard the sound of tires rushing over gravel and dirt. Michael stared down at him, eyes glowing like bright yellow coals, and his face a twisted mask Sam had only seen in his nightmares. Oh god, he was going to kill him!

"Thanks," Michael growled, leaping to the air with a gust of wind that tore at the trees surrounding their campsite.

The sound of a crossbow bolt whizzing through the air made Sam's head snap back to see the Frogs standing by the beat up old truck. Edgar with a crossbow in his hands. Alan rushed over to Sam.

"Why'd you go and do something so stupid?!" He shouted down at him, grabbing the key out of his hand, "why, Sam?"

"I, he, I can't do it." He whimpered softly, "he's my brother."

Edgar notched another bolt and shot again just as Michael sailed through the air far enough that he looked as if he was going to get away. For just an instant, Sam thought that was it. Ed had used a bolt tipped with holy water or something, and his brother would rain down on them in little bits of flesh and leather-but he didn't. He hurtled to the ground in one piece, screaming curses into the dark as he tumbled through an outcropping of trees.

"C'mon, let's go grab it before it gets any bright ideas," Edgar called out, lowering his crossbow and giving Sam a dirty look.

"Hook up the trailer, Sam." Alan ordered, going with Ed to get their prisoner.

"Oh man," Sam mumbled, "oh shit. Oh god. Shit!" He was shaking as he stumbled over to the truck on weak legs, slipping inside and slamming the door. He took a moment to rest his head on the steering wheel and steady himself. He didn't know what was worse, nearly losing Michael forever or nearly letting him go back to those assholes who were responsible for what he was now. He'd very nearly ruined everything. He barely registered the traumatized cat slipping out of the open trailer and darting off into the night.

What he failed to notice as Ed and Alan tossed his brother into the trailer was the small jar of blood in Edgar's hand as the pair got into the truck after hooking up the trailer.

"Drive, we gotta move." Edgar ordered, "gotta give us a little more time."

* * *

David hissed, his fingers closing on his right shoulder, eyes golden with pain and anger. "Fuck!" He almost wrecked his bike as pain shot through him. Somehow he managed to pull off the road, nearly dropping his bike as his fingers tugged at his jacket, trying to find the source of the pain. There was nothing there, his skin was pristine, which meant something happened to Michael.

Paul and Dwayne wordlessly parked nearby, rushing towards him.

"Dude, you alright?" Paul asked, looking him up and down.

Dwayne stopped just short of him, "what happened?"

"Michael, he's hurt." David hissed again, "fuck, that hurts." He looked down at his shoulder again, "and he's starving. We have to hurry."

"Shit, man," Paul exclaimed, "you good to ride?"

He rubbed his shoulder again, "I have to be."

Dwayne shook his head, "if he's hurt and starving, he's going to need a lot of blood. You need to feed first, just in case." David's blood would help him heal a lot faster than the Frog brothers or Sam Emerson if it was really bad.

"Then we better find someone to eat first," he adjusted himself on his bike, "let's go. I need to try to contact him again too."

"What do you think happened?" Paul asked, climbing onto his bike and keeping his eyes trained intently on David.

"Felt like he was shot." He pulled out onto the road. The pain was beginning to fade somewhat, but didn't disappear altogether. Michael must have lost a _lot _of blood. Why did they shoot him? Why was he still alive? He reached out along the threads that bound them, calling to his mate, hoping his was close enough. "_Michael, hey, wake up."_

The silence that answered was unnerving. He felt a very distant spark, though. Michael had heard him.

"_I need you to hold on, just a little longer, we'll be there soon."_

Michael's voice in his mind was a muffled whisper, "_almost-almost got away. He let me go. For a minute."_

"_Sam? Who shot you?"_

"_Fucking Frog. Missed the first shot. He-I think he took my blood."_

"_Fuck, why would he do that?"_

"_Don't know…" _His voice was fading. They wouldn't be able to stay connected much longer. "_They're moving again, David."_

"_Hold on and if you get the chance to eat one of them do it."_ He managed before the connection was severed. The passing nights were getting worse. Even in the last half hour or so after they ditched the RV in a fire, David felt like he was losing control of his temper more quickly. His mind kept wandering. He took in a deep breath, he _needed_ his mate, no matter the cost.

* * *

If he could climb out of bed, Michael would happily reclaim every single drop of blood he'd lost from both of the Frog brothers, and then some. As it stood, he was stuck wrapped in a crummy blanket unable to even properly sleep while the sun stood high above them, taunting him. The motel room was safe and dark, sure, but without protective earth surrounding him, or his pack, Michael's stubborn instincts kept him agonisingly aware of everything around him. Moving so much as an inch brought a fresh wave of nausea and pain to his shoulder. The muscles had knit back together where that fucking arrow dug into him, but it was raw and healing sluggishly in favour of devoting energy just to keeping him alive. This. Sucked.

"Think he's finally asleep?" One of the Frogs asked softly, looking toward the other bed where Sam had laid down.

"Probably," the other grunted, "when do you think I should drink it?"

"I told you, Ed, I want nothing to do with your stupid plan."

Michael's eyes were half-open, just barely able to watch them through the dim fog of awareness that enveloped him. _Edgar Frog was going to drink his blood?!_

"_David!" _Michael called out desperately.

"_What? Michael? What's wrong?" _David's voice was faint but he clung to it.

"_He's going to drink it…"_ What the hell was the Frog thinking?!

"_What?! Fuck, well, there is one advantage to it. You'll have some control over him. Bet the idiot think about that, did he?"_

Michael closed his eyes, trying to avoid the intense migraine he could feel pounding in his head to the rhythm of the motel room's cheap AC. "_How does that work?" _He asked, opening his eyes again so he wouldn't miss whatever stupid shit the Frog brothers did next.

"_When he drinks it you'll be able to feel a link between you and him. You can influence his hunger and him, he won't be able to really go against you if you exert enough influence."_

"Fine, I'm gonna drink it now. Gotta get used to whatever it's gonna do."

"Ed, no!" Alan hissed, reaching for the mason jar in his brother's grasp.

Ed jerked away from him, "I'm doing it, Alan! Don't try to stop me!"

"_Has he done it yet?"_

There was the sound of a scuffle before Edgar managed to drink it down. Almost immediately Michael could feel what David was talking about. Distantly, he remembered the few nights he'd spent half human and half predator. Compelled to physically seek out his pack. Sharing that same feeling with Edgar Frog was enough to turn his stomach.

"_Yeah," _Michael closed his eyes again, "_he did it._"

"Ed, man, you okay? Holy shit, I can't believe you drank that."

Edgar let out a soft groan, "it actually tasted good." He grumbled, flopping back on the bed. Right beside Michael, who _still _couldn't reach over to tear out his throat, and now felt infuriatingly less motivated to do so.

"What does it feel like?" Alan asked softly.

"It's like—" Edgar took in a deep breath, and despite himself Michael opened his eyes again to watch him. Turned on his side towards the demented Frog, he was amazed neither of them seemed to notice how alert he was despite how early in the day it must have been. "—It's like floating and swimming at the same time," Edgar slurred. He could have just said he felt drunk, but the idiot had to make it sound more impressive.

David laughed in his mind. "_God, I can feel him through you. What an idiot."_

"I think we can do this, Alan. We can take them all on. You just gotta make sure I don't snap and turn bloodsucker on anyone," Edgar mumbled, looking around blearily, "monster bashers…" he trailed off.

"_I almost want him to eat someone so we can torture him before we kill him."_ David laughed again, he was getting closer.

"_I think I have an idea," _Michael whispered to David, weary. Just the effort of reaching out to him was exhausting. He felt a trickle of blood leaking from his shoulder.

"We're gonna set a trap," Edgar mumbled, chuckling softly.

"_We'll set a trap."_

"What kind of trap?" Alan asked, sounding skeptical.

"We gotta go somewhere they think they're—Alan, it's gettin' all funny-looking in here. When did you grow another head?" Edgar demanded, jerking up.

"_Did I act like that?" _Michael asked. He didn't remember much from that first night with the boys.

"_You had it a little more together, were much more fun. You're not crazy like they are, so no worries."_

At least that was some small comfort. "_I'm tired…"_

"_Rest, I'll be there soon."_


	3. Escape

"Sam," Edgar rasped, huddled in the passenger seat with a tumbler of coffee and the darkest sunglasses known to man shading his eyes, "we've got plenty of time. We need to stop somewhere. Call it a day before sunset." His stomach gave a lurch as he forced another gulp of near-boiling coffee down his throat. The blood had been a _very _bad idea. He wished Alan had talked him out of it. So much for watching out for each other.

"What made you think that was a bright idea? Drinking Mike's blood. Ed, that was stupid." Sam said from the driver's seat.

"We're hunters," Edgar explained, very patiently, for the _fifth _time in the last hour, "to hunt the deadliest game, you gotta _be _the deadliest game." He tapped his index finger against his forehead to illustrate his point, very nearly dropping his coffee in the process. "You get the point."

"The deadliest game is sitting in our trailer right now, Ed," Alan informed him bluntly, "you just gave us another reason to stake it."

"Can you feel him? Like, a link or something?" Sam asked, focused on the road.

Edgar had to think about that. He didn't think so. "No," he shook his head, leaning his cheek against the cool glass of the window. It felt really nice right now. Why was the sun so bright? He could feel his eyeballs cooking behind his lenses. Should've waited until nightfall to drink that stupid blood. "Well, maybe," he decided, "I know he's asleep. I can tell. That's about it."

"I still say this is a stupid idea, what kind of trap do you want to set? You never said." Sam grumbled.

"Simple. Find somewhere the vamps think we're all gonna…" he trailed off, squinting and taking another sloppy gulp of coffee. He used his shirt collar to rub it from his bristled chin, "...we're gonna go to a bar. Or a store. A club!" He jerked up, "they'll think we're gonna be surprised they found us. No way they'd try anything funny in a crowd of twenty-thirty-fifty people. Gives us time to lead them outside and-" he lowered his coffee, "-that's when we know we got 'em." It was brilliant.

Alan just stared at him like he was an idiot while Sam gave voice to their thoughts, "we would risk so many people!"

"No, no, no," Edgar repeated, "no, we won't. I'm not gonna eat them. Nobody will. It's a good plan."

"You don't think they would eat them or the thing we have in the trailer?!" Alan exclaimed.

"He's not a thing!" Sam snapped, and then had to re-adjust the wheel when he very nearly swerved, "he's just confused."

"He would still eat people if we gave him the chance." Alan glanced at Ed, "keep your fangs to yourself."

"I don't have fangs," Edgar said, very patiently, "you just keep your stake ready if this plan goes south. It's not _gonna. _This'll take one-two days tops. So plug a club into your phone, Sam, and drive. Remember, it's only 3 vamps we gotta take on. There's three of us. We've got an edge, too. We've got _bait._"

Sam scowled, "bait? My brother isn't bait."

Edgar shook his head, "no, not him. _Me_. I'm a hunter in my prime. They'll do anything to make me kill and become one of them." It was possibly the most noble sacrifice or risk he or anyone had ever taken. "Your brother is just a nice bonus."

Sam looked at him incredulously, "sure, Ed, you keep believing that." He mumbled but Edgar heard him, that enhanced hearing was kind of nice. It was hard to blame him. Sam was compromised right now, not seeing straight.

"Edgar, I'm seriously worried you've lost it," Alan said, leaning forward to poke his head between them, "there's still a chance. We can back out and just ice him."

Sam glared at him, "we're not killing my brother." He said firmly.

"Sam, that _thing _in our trailer hasn't been your brother for twenty years!" Alan snapped, "I'm not about to let it take my brother too!"

"Maybe your brother shouldn't have been so stupid!" Sam shot back.

"Oh, you mean like the one who drank vamp blood in the first place and got us into this shit?" Alan fumed, his voice getting loud enough to make Edgar's ears ring. He nearly dropped his coffee in his sudden urge to shove Alan's face back.

"Stop!" He demanded, looking between them, "both of you!" He had no idea where his sudden urge to punch his own brother came from, but Edgar blamed it on the sun, "we are a team. Sam, your bloodsucking buttmunch brother in the back isn't getting staked today. Alan, you—" he sputtered, "—you're a dick."

Sam turned his attention back to the road. At least this stretch was deserted so when he accidentally went into the oncoming lane he didn't get them into a head on collision. "Where are we going? Did we even decide? I'm vetoing Ed's idea of a club." Sam grit out between clenched teeth, his hands twisting on the wheel.

"Agreed," Alan grumbled, "I say we find another camp site. Near a church, if we're lucky. Or we just don't stop driving until we _find _a church."

"No. No way in hell!" Edgar snapped, "we go with my plan, or not at all. Take it or leave it, we're going to a club." He scowled, "I'm the leader here, aren't I?" It had never been outright said, but he felt the sudden need to make that fact very clear to the pair of them. Someone had to call the shots around here, and it always ended up being him anyway. Ed was in charge. He'd prove it if he had to.

Sam narrowed his eyes, "you're compromised, you're not leading us anywhere, this is a democracy."

"I'll prove it," Edgar verged on threatening, smacking his lips as he settled back into his seat. He just barely remembered to set his coffee cup in the drink holder as he settled in to rest his eyes.

"Maybe we should lock him up too," Alan said wearily, "he's a pain in my ass sometimes."

"That might be a good idea." Sam grumbled, "he's losing it, Michael was kind of like this, all alpha male. When we stop I'm gonna talk to Mike."

Alan snorted, "was bad enough bundling him up like a mummy today and carrying him out to the trailer without getting any funny looks from the front desk guy, you seriously think he wants to talk to you right now after we nearly dropped him and cooked his dead ass?"

"I have to try, at least maybe understand more of what's happening to Ed."

"We'll have to do it at sunset, then," Alan grumbled, "there's a good couple hours we can put between us and them-wherever they are. Here's hoping we made good enough time. What's that old Dracula line? 'For the dead travel fast' or some crap. I'm gonna try to get some sleep while you drive. Wake me up if Ed bites."

* * *

Paul glanced over at his two remaining brothers, his thoughts more focused on the missing. He missed his brothers, he missed Marko, he even missed Michael. Losing Marko had been hard, harder than he would like to admit, and then to lose Michael, he felt so lost. He wasn't sure he could handle losing another brother, even one as big of a pain in the ass as Michael is.

They'd been lucky. A tin shack in the middle of nowhere wasn't ideal, but it was dark, and the support beams were still strong enough for them to sleep properly without ruining their clothes and burying themselves in the earth. It was a short drop to the ground, and Paul had no plans of waking the others earlier than necessary. He could still feel pinpricks of light on the horizon beginning to fade. If they went outside too early, they'd risk burning. Marko used to love to trick him to do shit like that when they were younger. He'd always seemed to fall for it, too. He could be convincing when he wanted to be, was definitely the most unassuming one of all of them. People underestimated him all the time but he was gone now and wasn't coming back.

No way in Hell was Paul going to let that happen again. What's more, if they lost Michael-they'd lose David, too. That whole mating thing was intense. He still didn't see why they'd done it. Now it was coming back to bite them all in the ass. Losing David was unacceptable, he was their leader, he held them together, they wouldn't fare well without him. Losing Max hadn't been a big loss, it was more of a boon than anything, but if they lost David...well, he didn't want to think about that. He was looking forward to killing the asshole that staked Marko. He was determined that he was going to do it himself and no one was going to stop him.

"_You're very bad at sulking," _Dwayne remarked in his mind, drawing Paul's attention to the rafter above him. The dark-haired vampire was wide awake, smirking down at him.

Paul looked up at him, scowling slightly, "_was trying to let you sleep."_

"_It's not easy with your moody thoughts beating us over the head," _Dwayne told him matter-of-factly, looking over at David beside him. The sun had comfortably set by now, so the risk of being scorched was no longer a problem.

"_Sorry, I just miss him, ya know?"_

"_We all do, Paul,"_ Dwayne dropped to the ground in a graceful crouch, "_but twenty years? You need to let him go, man."_

"_How?"_ He asked, moving closer to him, "_I don't know how."_

Dwayne shrugged, "I don't know either," he admitted aloud, standing up, "maybe someday he'll get reborn or something, stranger things have happened. Just live for the moment. That's what we do."

"Think we can find him if he does get reborn or whatever?"

"The little imp would probably find us first," Dwayne said with a grin, punching Paul's shoulder. He glanced up at the rafters above, "how are you holding up, David?"

David slowly opened his eyes before dropping down, "I've been better, knowing what Michael has planned for the idiot Frog is at least enough to keep me going for now but we need to hurry."

Paul's eyebrows shot up, "what's he got planned?"

David smirked, "well, he's already begun influencing the Frog, we're going to meet him in a nicely crowded place."

"A buffet?" Paul brightened up, "sounds like fun."

"Maybe we can get him to eat his brother, wouldn't that be fun."

"Then stake him in the back," Paul agreed, grinning viciously.

David grinned, "let's get going. While you play with him in the club Dwayne and I will get Michael."

* * *

The world around him was spinning, even long after the trailer had been parked safely at what Michael gathered was a campsite. He caught glimpses every now and again when he threw himself into Edgar's mind with what little strength he still had right now. He wasn't bleeding anymore, which was in itself a miracle.

The hunter's thoughts were a mess, and just trying to find grains of reason and-well-anything normal in his head was making Michael's skull throb with the effort. Once in awhile, throughout the course of the day, he knew peaceful oblivion. His body was at least allowing him _some _sleep now.

The distance that grew between him and David was stretching like jaws of madness, ready to bite down on his sanity. Maybe it was a good thing the idiot had taken his blood, albeit very much against Michael's will. It gave him something to cling to and focus on. Something to drive away a vein of his hunger, which made him craft horrible fantasies of slaughtering the trio in the truck ahead of him, whether he had any soft spot for his former sibling or not.

He could feel Ed's thoughts, his mind going over the plan Michael had planted there. He seemed convinced that it would work, that he could take on the other three vampires by himself.

"Sorry, Sam," Michael mumbled under his breath, not entirely sure he _was _sorry. After everything he'd gone through, he was too hungry to care about anyone with a pulse. If anything, Sam and Alan were lucky Edgar had just dosed them with heavy drugs in their Big Macs.

He could feel David rapidly coming closer, he was almost there, and Ed was getting ready to leave the two drugged hunters for the club he had decided was going to take his last stand. Not for the first time, Michael was glad they didn't appear in mirrors or photographs. The club was going to be a bloodbath when they were done with it.

"_David," _Michael called out, focusing his thoughts as best he could. It was getting so much harder.

"_Dwayne and I are almost there, just another few minutes."_ His voice got louder the closer he got. Then Michael felt Edgar approaching the truck. He gave the hunter a mental nudge to spend time in the front seat examining his plan, walking his way through the asinine speech he'd prepared.

"_Sam's out. The key to this thing should be in his coat. I think he left it on his sleeping bag." _It was hard to say for sure, the short glimpses he'd caught through Ed's eyes were hazy and unfocused. "_Make sure he doesn't know you're here," _Michael added, leaning back against the wall near the sealed doors of the trailer. It wouldn't be too hard focusing on Edgar, keeping him hyper-focused on whatever stupid shit that caught his attention, but he didn't want any of them to know he was gone. He wanted to drag it out, make the hunters suffer a little.

It was only a matter of minutes but felt far longer before the door to the trailer slowly opened. David had been quiet like he asked but he was obviously at the end of his patience.

"Fuck, Michael." David breathed out softly.

He peered up at David, the sound of night crickets and rustling trees outside muting the blood rushing in his head. He was too tired now to dive towards him, or pull his mate into a crushing embrace, so a weary smile would just have to do. "David."

David was there in a flash of movement, pressing their lips together almost desperately, "don't ever leave me again."

All at once, the hunger and the pain was dulled, and for the first time in three days, Michael could breathe. "I'll try to keep it in mind," he said, curling his fingers into David's hair and drinking him in. "Took you long enough."

He chuckled against his lips, "the sun sucks. Ready to get something to eat?"

Michael's tongue darted out to line David's bottom lip. He stopped just short of biting it, knowing he wouldn't be able to stop if he did, "Yeah," he agreed, "I'm starving."

"Want to eat what we have here or go out and get something so we can torture them before they die?"

A cold, angry part of Michael wanted to kill Sam, but he didn't forget the moment of near-sanity the human had when Michael almost escaped. So he let the question of his brother's fate hang in the air. "Let's go out."

David looked at him skeptically but nodded as the sound of Edgar leaving in the truck filled the air, "probably for the best since the dynamic duo is drugged up. We can meet up with Paul."

Dwayne stood at a distance from the trailer, arms crossed while he quietly waited for them to finish chatting. Michael peered at him through the open trailer doors, then looked back at David, "I can walk," he said softly, pushing himself against the trailer wall to support himself as he stood, "but I don't think I can fly right now."

David nodded, "the bikes aren't far away, you can ride with me."

He scowled, "you want me to ride bitch?" It was a half-hearted complaint at best, but a man had to pretend he had standards.

David chuckled, "well, yeah, you're not driving, you can hardly stand and it's not like we have an extra."

"Okay, fine," Michael relented, walking forward on shaky legs, "but we either grab an extra set of wheels on the way home, or we're switching places."

David chuckled softly, "so you say." He let him walk on his own at least as they headed for the bikes.

* * *

Paul was strolled into the club as if he owned the place, almost immediately spotting the infected Frog. The little halfling didn't look so hot which was to be expected considering he had to be hungry and was surrounded by all this perfectly good food. This was going to be fun.

The hunter didn't immediately notice him, drawn into the crowd as he was, a tumbler of liquor in hand. He kept himself occupied by chewing ice cubes, shielding his eyes with thick sunglasses. Hangover, nearly undead—what was the difference?

Paul was surprised he was able to walk right up to him and sling an arm around his shoulders, "well, what do we have here?"

He had to hand it to him, Edgar Frog didn't recoil or scream like the little girl he was deep down inside. Just like the day he'd strutted into their home and staked Marko, he wore a brave face and delivered what could only be called a 'cabbage patch doll' frown straight at Paul.

"You found me," he grumbled, slurping up another cube of ice and chewing it viciously.

Paul laughed, grinning at him, "you're a little hard to miss, halfie." He settled onto the bar stool beside him, "thanks for the buffet, by the way. You here all by yourself? Doesn't sound too smart to me."

"Had to protect them," he informed Paul coldly, deciding to stand, "knew one of you would come looking for me. We need to talk."

Paul raised an eyebrow, "talk? About what?"

"We need to finish this. You. Me. Them. I know what you want, it's _me."_ He bit down on another chunk of ice, sloshing his drink in the process and spilling some down the front of his shirt.

Paul sat there staring at him. Was he serious? The silence between them seemed to stretch on forever before Paul laughed. He doubled over, hands wrapped around his belly, and laughed.

"Oh, fuck, I needed that. What makes you think we want _you?_" He asked once he was about to get ahold of himself.

Edgar at least had the moderate intelligence to look offended, "I'm an expert hunter in my prime. My instincts are honed to perfection. There's no way your kind wouldn't want someone like me on your side."

"Sorry to bust your bubble but we don't want you, not even a little bit. After what you did to Marko, we wouldn't take you in even if you begged us to but, how about this, if you really want to join us, your brother can be your first kill. A brother for a brother." Paul bit out sharply, glaring at him.

"No way in Hell!" Edgar slammed his glass on the bar, receiving an irate glance from the bartender before he was immediately distracted by a line of women rushing the bar. "I'm just here to send a message tonight. We end this. You bloodsuckers, me, winner takes all. I'll stake each and every one of—"

Paul lashed out, wrapping his hand around his throat, silencing his words, "too bad you're all alone here and I have three brothers about to walk in that door." He hissed, eyes golden in anger.

Fear finally seemed to break through the cro-magnon thick skull of his, and Edgar tried to swallow against the pressure on his throat.

"Hey, guys, chill out or leave," the bartender advised the pair of them.

Edgar grunted, pushing out words with no small effort, "you're—bluffing. We have him locked up. If I don't make it back, Alan'll cook your buddy at dawn."

"Locked up with two drugged guards because you just had to come here and face me?" He questioned, smiling wickedly, "where did you get _that_ idea?"

"He—" Edgar hesitated, "what do you mean?"

"Think about it, use that tiny brain of yours and think. Can't you _feel_ Michael, just outside that door? What do you think blood does?" Paul couldn't help but laugh, the Froggy really was an idiot.

"_Oh god,"_ he whispered, "Alan! What did you do to him?!"

"He's alive, so is Sam, for now." As he spoke the door opened and the three other vampires walked into the club, "looks like the gang's all here."

Edgar caught sight of them all, reality sinking in so suddenly that Paul could actually taste the fear flavouring the blood and adrenaline pumping through him. This was better than he could've planned himself.

David strolled up behind them, giving the bartender a sharp look when he went to yell at Paul again, "Edgar, how nice of you to listen so well to your _sire_. I'm so proud of Michael, he really can be manipulative when he wants to be."

"No," Edgar protested, wrapping his hands around Paul's as his grip tightened on his throat, "no one controls me! It was a plan! I thought of it!"

Michael and Dwayne weren't too far behind David, each of them sidling up to the bar to further pen the Frog in. Instinctually, as a pack, they circled him, ensuring that even if Paul released his hold, Edgar wasn't going anywhere.

"You came up with the first part," Michael agreed, looking as healthy as ever. How many people had they already killed tonight?

"But the rest was all Michael. You really should have let him go when you had the chance." David stated, "you may have lived longer but now, well, let's take a little trip, shall we?"

It was fun to pull Edgar Frog close, releasing his throat and pretending to be an old friend aiding his drunken friend to the door. Paul leaned in close as he kept his arm firmly wrapped around the halfling's shoulders, "you scream, they die." He nodded towards the people around them, "either way, we don't care." It wasn't entirely true. Paul hoped Edgar _did _scream. He was just itching to claw into something fresh and warm. Maybe even that dick of a bartender. But he stayed resolutely silent, how disappointing.

Paul glanced over at Michael once they'd managed to slip outside into the night, "_what now?" _He asked, giving Edgar a swift kick in the ass to knock him to the ground. The hunter was sent tumbling to the ground in an inelegant and angry heap, before quickly attempting to scramble away from them towards his truck.

Michael put a hand on David's shoulder, leaning on him casually. "_Give him a head-start. Just enough to make them think they'll get away. A day or two."_

David smirked, nodding, "_ten minutes?"_

"_Make it twenty,"_ Dwayne suggested, "_then we can force-feed him before we stake the fucker."_

"_Alright, twenty minutes and we go get them."_

* * *

In the few days he'd been separated from David and the others, Michael had never felt so miserable. Now that they were a pack again, feeding, partying, he felt an intense exhilaration and sense of calm he hadn't really appreciated until he'd lost it. Tonight he would finally get to tell his brother good-bye, and he could honestly say he didn't have any regrets. The Michael that Sam had known died a long time ago, he needed to stay in the past where he belonged or something even worse would happen to both of them.

With renewed strength and a fresh kill beating in his chest, he pressed close to David on his bike, "_just the Frogs,_" he finally whispered in his mate's mind, the thought he'd kept to himself from the very beginning.

David looked at him out of the corner of his eye, "_why? Sam's the one that took you."_

"_He's my brother. That still means something. He didn't want to kill me."_

"_If he tries anything I can't guarantee I'll spare him."_

Michael pressed closer against them as they approached their destination, "_I know." _He wouldn't pretend Paul didn't deserve to kill Edgar, or that any of them didn't have a right to Sam's blood, but Michael had always been stubborn. Occasionally he still found reasons to visit his grandpa's old place, even a decade after the old bastard kicked the bucket.

David stopped his bike a ways away from the camp, the other two following suit. "_Alright, let's stroll into their camp. Be ready for them though."_

"_Think they're up?" _Dwayne asked, smirking as they strolled forward through the foggy night. Seemed to follow them everywhere. Maybe Santa Carla was starting to call them home already.

"What the ever-loving fuck, Ed?! You drugged us!" An intense screeching noise reverberated from the campsite. Alan Frog.

"_Oh, they're up."_

"I did what had to be done! You weren't listening to me!" Edgar defended. He seemed to forget that Michael was the one in control. It was tempting to call him out then and there, but he let the idiot continue to talk.

"You don't _drug _your friends to keep them safe, asshole!" Sam shouted back, "especially when we have a bunch of shit-sucking vampires after us, and nobody to guard the trailer! Now Mike's out there killing people! We have to stop him!" It didn't sound like he wanted to treat the 'addiction' anymore. Not that Michael wanted to go back into his little brother's sick idea of rehab.

"_You want to go first?"_ David asked, watching the trio verbally assault each other.

Michael stood there for a moment, debating with himself. "_Yeah," _he decided. He'd give Sam the chance to get away. One last gesture before he'd wash his hands of his brother forever.

Paul gave him a determined look, and Michael waved him off as he strode ahead of them, leaving the three vampires behind in the fog. "_Yeah, I get it, he's yours."_

"You got your kit ready?" Alan asked, his voice more controlled now as he directed his attention to Sam.

They still hadn't seen him. The fog gave Michael an extra minute or two to tease Edgar's mind. He smirked, sending an errant thought at the hunter, "_Alan smells like prime rib. Bet he tastes even better."_

Ed looked so very hungry as he stared at his brother. Michael swore he had more willpower when he was a halfling than Ed is showing now. He actually stopped himself from eating his brother, not that David pushed the issue much. The halfling took a step toward his brother, licking his lips.

David let his mate lead, keeping beside him and just slightly behind, "_he's actually going to do it."_

"Ed?" Alan rounded on his brother, "help me with the traps, don't just stand there. Holy shit man, don't look at me like that!"

Michael applied even more pressure on the halfling, ready to be done with this and sever the connection they had once and for all, "_it'd be so easy. So fast. He won't feel a thing. He owes it to you. He's your brother."_

From one moment to the next Edgar had launched himself at Alan, teeth digging deeply into his throat, tearing, trying to get to the blood inside.

"Ed, no!" Sam shrieked, eyes darting towards the fog when Michael stepped forward into his view. An instant of cold recognition on his face was all he needed, and before he knew it Michael heard the familiar whistle of a notched bolt flying through the air. He was too shocked to move.

David pushed him hard, shoving him out of the way, the bolt burying itself through his chest, inches from his heart.

Pain and white heat exploded in Michael's vision, and everything else took a backseat to instinct. Without a thought, he launched himself forward, his face twisted in rage as Dwayne and Paul appeared from the fog. Paul went for Edgar, who was staring at Alan's twisted body in disbelief and hunger. Dwayne rushed to David's side.

Sam was dead before he hit the ground, his neck twisted like a broken bird's, and Michael immediately rushed back to David, desperate to remove the bolt from his chest.

"Why?!" He demanded, his hands gripping at the bolt as David's blood seeped around them in huge spurts.

David gasped softly, hissing in pain, "I'm not letting you die."

Flesh tore as Michael hastily removed the bolt, pressing a hand to the wound helplessly and tearing into his own wrist to press it to David's lips, "same here," he hissed, "drink. All of it if you have to." It didn't matter. He'd die anyway, what was the difference if David was gone? They were _mates._

David tried to turn his head away, "you're still weak. I'm not going to drink everything you have."

Michael growled, biting down on his own tongue, "I'll get more," he insisted, pressing their lips together and physically restraining David's chin so he couldn't turn away.

Dwayne remained at their side, "I can give him blood," he said softly. Whether he was talking to David or Michael, it wasn't entirely clear.

David nodded once Michael pulled away, "hurry up, this fucking wound hurts. What do they do to those bolts?"

All three hunters were dead now, and Paul stood victorious in Edgar's blood, glaring down at his handiwork as if he could will him to come back just so he could kill him all over again. "Smells like it burnt," he said matter-of-factly, "I bet they blessed them."

Dwayne offered his wrist to David, while Michael inspected the wound on David's chest. His own injury the previous night had burned, too, and now he knew why it took so long to heal. It had come far too close for comfort. Just another inch, and…

"Don't do that again," Michael told David angrily while he drank from Dwayne, "ever."

David let out a snort around Dwayne's wrist but didn't stop drinking, his eyes said it all though, fat chance.

* * *

David stood overlooking the water, Michael by his side. They had been through a lot, more than enough for a lifetime. He glanced over at his mate, he was taking it well, Sam's death, what he was still caught up on was the fact that the man who called him brother would do what he did. He tried to kill him under the guise of helping him. Sam was delusional, that was for sure.

"You think any of this would've happened," Michael asked, "if he hadn't left me behind?" He'd accepted what he'd done, what he'd _had _to do. It wasn't a lesson any of them enjoyed learning.

"I don't want to think of what would have changed. Maybe it wouldn't have happened, maybe you wouldn't be here with me, maybe I would be dead and you would be human or you could have died instead of making your kill. There are too many 'what ifs' in the world to be focusing on it."

Michael nodded, offering David his half-spent cigarette, salt air fresh on his lips, "he never would've stopped. It took him twenty years to come back for me. Five minutes to forget about me again. He let me bleed out all day." He shook his head, "I think that hurt more than getting shot. We were _brothers._"

He took it, taking a slow drag, "we're your brothers now, the past is done, and won't be coming back to haunt any of us."

Michael smirked, "that right?"

David smirked back, "yeah, that's right. Max is dead, those hunters are in the ground, I think we're good."

Eyes lingering on David's face, he seemed to be memorizing every detail as they stood in comfortable silence together, "so what do we do now?"

"Now? Now we live, we party, we fuck and we feed."

"Sounds good." For the time being, he was done talking about what could have been, "ready to go home?"

David leaned forward, kissing him softly before sliding past him, "race you there."


End file.
